PAINTED ROCK
half an hour by the clock to work free, and when he did he was mighty dishevelled, with scarce a button to him. But at last he scratched himself around till he was nigh free, and then those that was for him yelled, 'Give him the butt of your gun, Ginger, and stiffen him!' and I'm not sayin' they weren't right. But just as he got his gun out Keeley made a mighty twist and got hold of it, and chucked it a good ten yards away. And then Ginger spoke. He said, 'All right, my son, I can do without it.' He rose up on his knees, and the next moment he flew over Keeley and Keeley was on top, and then Keeley's friends yelled for him to give Ginger the butt of his gun. And the next news that emerged from the sand-storm was Keeley's gun, and it hit Ed Smith on the shin so's he howled. And now they was without weepons, havin' only their hands, and the bettin' on the Texan was risin', for it seemed hard for them to believe a man from Mizzoura could handle a Texan in his native dust if they did weigh about equal. Nevertheless I took all Smith's bets, for I had faith in Ginger. I didn't be-
74
